The Labor enquirer., 1887-06-04
THE LABOR ENQUIRER. DENVER COLORADO. 1--WE 4. 1887

formed yesterday morning e+rly that Mr.,
Brunef vas dead. Il b probable that he died
when no dne was near him, but that IS not
known The coroner was'noti6cd Of the death
about ! o. '9lock, and Immediately removed the
body to biz rooms.
From the books at police headquarters it
appears that S; w. Buner was arrested by
Officer Dan Brady, May Is, for drunkenness,
and that he was tried in the police court and
fined for the ofiense.
Officer Brady called at the coroner's Office
last evening and viewed the body which he
recognized as that Of man he had arrested.
He said that on Wednesday night, May IS,
while on bis beat, q citizen came to him and
told him that an old man was lying on the
corner Of Sixteenth and Holladay streets, and
that he should be taken care Of. He went to
the place designated, found the man, reused
him, summoned the patzol wagon and had the
prisoner conveyed to jail. Officer Brady pos
itively asserts that he did not use his club; that
he had no occasion to use it, and that he saw
nothing the matter with the man further than
he appeared to be stupidly drunk. He court
ed the fullest investigation and did not fear
he outcome.
( According to statement said to have been
made by Chief Hogle, Officer Brady said the
night he arrested Mr.. Bruner he noticed lit
tie blood oil. his head, but did not think it Sc
rious, and that Burners wound was dressed
in the Jail once before he was placed in cell.
Dn. Phelps and Pfeiffer were to have held a
post mortem last night, but concluded that it
would be better to hold it in the day time and
they will tfy and determine to-day what it was
that caused the death Of Mr.. Bruner.
Mr.. Brrner was well-known character
around Denver. He was q tall stalwart man,
with gray hair and beard and in almost every
Grand Army parade he was noticeably playing
the fife with the vigor Of young man. He
was brickmaker and earned good wages.
HIS friends deny that he was drunkard in
fact, say that he was temperate man, al
though in the habit Of taking glass Of beer
occasionally. He was high.strung, sensi-
tive man, and although an old man was as
alert and active as many young men. He was
an intense patriot and was willing to resent
any slurring allusion to the stars and stripes.
Why he had trouble with mis- family is not
known, but it makes no difference what
trouble he may have had it has nothing to do
with the case.
Mr.. Bruner told his friend Mr.. Wise and
others that he was struck on the head by
policeman and knocked senseless. He has a
deepIgash on the top Of the back Of his head,
which could not possibly have been made by
his falling down or against anything. Wheth-
tnok =.
have to be determined by the autopsy. Officer
Brady asserts that he did not use his club on
the old man ,and Officer Bfady's word will go
good ways, as he was never known to use his
club in hhsty manner, and has the good will
and respect Of all who know him. The dis
crepancy lies in the purported story Of Chief
Hogle,to the effect that Bruner had his wound
dressed at the city Jail, and no one else seems
10 know anything else about this statement
There is a rumor to the effect that one night
last week Sergeant Hamsher dubbed pris-
oner in the "bull pen' of the city Jail. Who
that man was is unknown, but it is claimed
that it was not Bruner, because the clubbing
took place several days before Bruner's ar.
rest.
The question to be determined by the cor
oner's juryIis how Mr.. Bruner came to his
death-if he was clubbed and who did the
The Grand Army men have taken
hold Of the case and will not be satisfied
without full investigation, and will see that
the guilty person is punished whoever he is.
There is no law in this land which justifles
a policeman in clubbing man.
There is law which makes such clubbing
assault; there is law which make killing
resulting therefrom MURDER.
Let the law be ENFORCED.